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Female metal shakes up mix

In a musical world bombarded with male voices, male backgrounds and a predominantly male fan following, female rockers Kittie break the mold with their debut album "Spit."

It is something that would never be expected in the hard-hitting world of heavy metal.

"We're girls playing in a guys' business," said Morgan Lander, frontwoman of Kittie. "Metal is a testosterone-soaked male genre of music where we fit like a puzzle piece. It's like two strange little worlds completely coinciding."

Kittie was formed in 1996 when drummer Mercedes Lander - Morgan's sister - and guitarist Fallon Bowman met in a London, Ontario, gymnastics class.

Morgan Lander joined the two in their parents' basement soon after, and the band began writing their own music.

This raised a few eyebrows as they took their show on tour.

"When we first got started in our home town, we had lots of guys telling us girls can't play their instruments," she said.

As Kittie gained notoriety, it became obvious that those critics were wrong.

The girls played their first show in February of 1998. A representative from Ng records saw their set later at the Canadian Music Week and signed the band soon after.

"It's nice because we don't have to work through a corporate ladder," Morgan Lander said. "If you want, you can call up the president of the company. You don't have to work through the middleman. And you don't have to go to meetings in business suits."

Kittie definitely will not be seen in business suits. Their Goth-Glam-girl punk rock attire and edgy lyrics do not call for it.

"We're not gonna change our format," Morgan Lander said. " We're gonna do what we wanna do. We don't take shit from everybody. We're nonconformist."

Kittie's first record has given heavy metal a new lyrical twist. With "Paperdoll," the band suggests that men see women as no more than blow up dolls.

Kittie is hoping to destroy that image in the music culture and in society as well.

"There's an occasional drunk guy in the crowd yelling, 'show your tits.' I turn around and say, 'suck my dick.' Then they shut up," Morgan Lander said.

Morgan Lander also said audiences are learning to appreciate the band more for their musical talents than just merely gender.

"People don't know what to expect at first, so they sit back with their arms crossed," she said. "Within the first couple chords they see what we're all about."

Kittie does not sing about pink and purple pretty thoughts. Rather, they scream lyrics that epitomize harsh realities.

Lyrically, the high-school-aged girls have a lot to say - especially given their youth. But they don't think that matters.

"I don't want the teen band image to affect us," said Morgan Lander. "Our age doesn't inhibit intellect or experience at all. We're children of the 90s. We have important things to say."

Kittie has added a new dimension to an industry that thrives on young, easily marketed beauty queens.

"Media has been bombarded with contrived pop icons. We need a change once in a while," Morgan Lander said.

Not only do they write their own music, but they are also adding a new edge to the heavy metal circuit, opening for Sevendust on their most recent tour, coming to the Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St., tonight at 7.

Kittie has broken through a stereotype of the male-driven music culture, and they aren't doing it by running around half-naked through their high school and conforming to any particular female body image.

"When our previous bass player left, with her left a lot of the focus on sex," said Morgan Lander. "She wanted people to focus on her and her sexuality. That's not a focal point for us at all. It's about our music. We play straightforward, in your face, hard-core."